Menu

Do-it-yourself projects have become easier to handle because Internet blogs (including ours) have become reliable resources for many homeowners. However, DIY projects often fail because some homeowners lack the knowledge working with different materials.

An interior designer understands spatial layouts and he or she knows how to envision a full picture. Meanwhile, a DIY homeowner knows what he or she exactly wants, but they lack the experience to focus their ideas quickly, which makes DIY interior designing a time consuming effort.

Got some guest arriving in an hour, but your bathroom is a mess? There’s a quicker way to do things. In fact, you can clean your bathroom in less than 30 minutes. Before you start, breathe and relax. Clear your mind and don’t rush. Instead, think of all the tools and cleaning equipment that you will need in accomplishing this chore.

Assemble all the cleaning materials that you will need. In this instance, you will only need the basic ones – gloves, all-purpose bathroom cleaner, sponge, trash bag, disinfectant, broom, map, toilet cleaner, toilet brush and scrubbers. Put them all together in one small pail so that you can easily carry them from one place to another. Don your gloves and set on cleaning the bathroom.

Start off with the Dirty Clothes. Pick up all the dirty clothes and put them away in the hamper. Do not get distracted with the items that come out of the pocket of your son. Just have them stashed away in the hamper for now and sort them out sometime soon or the next day when you do the laundry.

Pick up the trash, empty hair sprays and empty shampoo bottle. Put them away all in the trash can. If you have no bathroom tissue, be sure to take away the empty roll from the dispenser and put them in the trash, too. Put away the trash. After putting it away outside, clean the trash can by spraying with disinfectant. If you don’t have one, pour white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray all over the inside of the trash can. Let it soak for a while. While waiting for that, get the sponge.

Clean the Tub and Sink. Pour some disinfectant on the sponge and apply it on the tub and sink area. Remember that you are doing this to make the bathroom presentable to your guests. Cleaning it thoroughly may have to be accomplished later or the next day. When this is accomplished, get the toilet brush.

Make a mixture of water and all-purpose cleaner on a small pail of water. Pour some on the side of the toilet bowl and brush away dirt. Repeat the same procedure on the inside of the toilet bowl, too. Afterwards, wipe the outside of the bowl with disinfectant.

Mirror. Now, you’re ready to clean the mirror. Get your glass cleaner and spray ample amounts on the mirror. If you ran out of glass cleaner, you can still make one. Get one cup of rubbing alcohol, one cup of water and one cup vinegar. Mix them in an empty and clean spray bottle. Make sure to label it appropriately to avoid accidents and hazards. Spray it on the mirror, then wipe away with a clean cloth. Dry it with paper towel or old newspaper.

Collect all the items that don’t belong in the bathroom. Refill items like bathroom tissue, soap and hand sanitizer. Then briefly sweep the floor of the bathroom. Take note to pick up hair strands that may have fallen on the floor. Get the trash can and wipe it with disinfectant. Then, put a plastic trash bag inside to protect the inside of the trash can. Next time, you don’t have to clean the inside of the trash can. You can just get the trash and bring it out. After mopping the floor, you’re all done!

Well, gardens are wondrous spaces in the property that it is such a shame that many choose to overlook them. If you want to meet and enjoy nature, there is already that area just outside of your residence, don’t you think? You can just rest and relax comfortably with the fresh air and beautiful view.

But then again, many people don’t realise the importance of such expanse. Hence, do not be like them! You can turn your simple yard into one of style and class with these ideas (albeit traditional):

1. Greenery
Groundwork is an essential first. To bring life to your outdoors, a healthy green lawn would definitely suffice.

2. Flowers

These additions will contribute to your garden’s colour and vibrancy. They bring fragrance as well. You must remember to only plant flora that is fit for your place’s weather and climate though.

3. Paved Areas
With plant and flower life, you will need to avoid stepping on them to keep them alive and existing. How do you do that, then? Well, that is through pavements. These firm surfaces will keep you away from said elements and they offer direction too. For instance, paved areas can be installed from your gate to your front door.

4. Patios

The garden can be a designated space to gather with your loved ones. Invite your family members and friends to party out with you in the comforts of your very own property. Furniture can be placed, so everyone will be settled. Weddings, birthdays or just simple barbecue parties – all these (and more) can be done in the garden itself!

5. Decking
This is similar to that of the patio. The only difference is that this is an installed platform, which provides visual interest to who can see it. In any case, its functions are that of the patio, so it is another variation for a place of relaxation and enjoyment whether alone or with company.

6. Fencing

Safety is no doubt important. Therefore, putting up a strong barrier around your property like walls and fences will be very advantageous. Without your consent and authorisation, no one else is able to come in just anytime they want, and this rule applies to animals as well. Remember to make the fencing high in height to uphold such protection.

7. Statues
If you want to have some flair in your garden, put up these sculptures. It can be that of a medieval character or just any that you wish. For many gardening enthusiasts, a common one would be that of a garden gnome with various poses. With this, you can add fun to your simple yard.

8. Water Features
For a classier finish, you can have a fountain installed, maybe in the front and centre of your outdoor space. You can even have a fish pond if you are interested.

All these and more can be accomplished by experts like the garden landscapers greenwich. It is indeed recommended to employ the services of professionals because they can quickly and easily transform your ideas into reality.

Planning to have your lawn or outdoor space landscaped with shrubs and trees? The local landscapers in clapham will automatically ask you if you have pets in your home before letting you choose the plants that you want to have in your garden. This is because there are plants and shrubs that may prove to be harmful to your pets. To get you acquainted, here are some of the plants that can harm your pet dog:

Lilies. Lilies are both toxic to your pet dogs and cats as well. When domestic pet ingests any of the variants of lilies like calla lily, lily of the valley, amaryllis, palm and peace lily, it causes stomach upset causing your pet not to eat for days. These lilies are also known to cause depression and tremors in dogs and cats.

Azalea. The flowers of azalea are a great addition to your garden when you are planning your clapham garden design. However, your dog can go running in your garden and take particular interest in the leaves of this shrub. Pets that ingest the leaves of azalea commonly experiences weakness and leg paralysis. You may also notice drooling and loss of appetite. There were even reported cases of coma and death of pets from this ornamental shrub.

Narcissus. Spring is not complete without seeing the blooming daffodils. Narcissus, daffodils, jonquil or paper white, add vibrant colors to your garden. On the other hand, pets that accidentally eat the daffodil bulbs may experience diarrhea, vomiting, drooling, convulsions and heart problems.

Dumb Cane or Dieffenbachia. This is an ornamental plant that is usually placed inside the house. Business offices may have this plant as it helps with natural air purification. In addition, mature leaves grow wide with an accent of yellow blotched leaves. The term Dieffenbach was given to this plant in honor of the German physician and botanist, Joseph Dieffenbach. It is also called “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue.” When this plant is bruised, it emits a skunk-like odor. This plant is harmful to both human and pets when ingested. Vomiting, diarrhea, and intense salivation occur. Death can follow as it also causes the esophagus to swell making it difficult to breathe.

Black Walnut Tree. Walnuts are not dangerous to pets. If your pets like nuts, then there is no problem with them eating it. However, when ripe walnut drop to the ground and you forget about it, it will decompose. As it decomposes, molds will grow from it, which your pet dog may ingest. When this happens, tremors and seizures follow. It is best to check the surroundings before letting your dog run around the yard or lawn.

With this additional knowledge, you may feel that you are limited to the plants and trees that you want to grow in your garden. On the contrary, there are a lot of non harmful species of plants, flowering shrubs and trees that you can have your landscape designers and gardeners include in the landscape plan. You just need to put some time and attention to it so that you and your pets won’t get hurt while enjoying the benefits of your landscaped garden.

Though cleaning the house is one of the regular chores that you do at home, you wanted to accomplish things in record time. If only there is a way to make things as clean as possible without spending too much time in cleaning them, you would, won’t you? Here are some quick tips on cleaning the kitchen:

Cleaning the Grease of the Oven. You spend so much time in cleaning the oven. Why shouldn’t you? It’s where you bake cakes and cookies for your love ones. Of course you want it clean. The part that need the most cleaning are the greasy oven door, burned spills on the bottom of the oven and food spills on the burners and knobs.

What you can do: Remove all the burners and soak them in hot water. While you wait for the gunk to soften on the burners, start wiping the food spills on the oven top with the same warm water. The warm water will help to remove the oil from food and cooking. Go back to the soaking burners and scrub the grime away with an old toothbrush. Rinse them off and leave them to dry before putting back on the oven top.

Burned food spills on the oven bottom may be difficult to clean with a sponge. Get a stainless spatula and try to take away as much burned lumps of food on the oven floor. If you weren’t successful in removing all the burned food spills, get some full strength ammonia and spray it on the stains. After five minutes, sprinkle on some baking soda and then add a few drops of white vinegar. Expect it to bubble for a while, then rinse with wet and clean sponge.

On both sides of the glass oven door, spray the same ammonia and let it soak for three minutes. Afterwards, wipe the ammonia with wet and clean sponge. Use a paper towel or old newspaper to dry it off.

Undesirable Odors. Bad odors can come from the trash can and the sink. You can eliminate these bad odors in the kitchen with a few simple tricks.

What you can do: The trash can is something that needs extra attention. When you see that it needs to be taken out, then by all means, take them out. Food particles that have been left out in the garbage can for too long will cause the smell of rotten food. Clean it with Lysol or a homemade vinegar disinfectant. Get an empty spray bottle and put some full strength white vinegar. Spray onto the inside of the trash can making sure to spray on liberally on the bottom. Leave it for a few minutes, then wipe away with a clean cloth.

The sink can emit a foul odor from food particles that have been caught up in the drain. If your sink has a rubber gasket, pull it out and clean it as much as you can. Prepare one half cup baking soda and pour it into the sink. Afterward, let warm water run for a couple of minutes to wash away the bad odor.

It’s a pain, especially for our older audience who aren’t as flexible as they once were. So here’s a few tips we have for doing so.

First and foremost, before you’ve started anything. You should think about how easy it will be to clean.

I LOVE houses with lots of glass, massive glass windows to look at, obviously you want a view to go with it. But that would be a massive amount of work to clean it, so it’s not for me. I don’t have that sort of time, nor that sort of money to pay someone to clean it for me!

But that brings me to my second point, what if you could have your own personal cleaner, paid for by the local government?

Hear me out.

You see if you’re an older person, or your family member suffers from dementia or alzheimer’s, or you’ve injured yourself and can’t work, you can get a service called home care.

My local home care northampton company visits my parents every week to help them living more comfortable at home. And part of that service is providing assistance with general household chores. The best part is, my parents care at home service is paid for by the government.

Now of course, I’m not suggesting you do anything “dodgy” to get your local council to pay for your home care. But if you’re an older person or one of the reasons I listed above, and you’re eligible. I wouldn’t turn it down, it could really be beneficial to you.

Alternatively you can pay for home care as a private service, which ever works best for you and your budget.

Find out more about how home care and live in care can help you (besides general household chores), I was reading this site:

Deciding on the right blinds for bathrooms is a tough decision to make sometimes. But the truth is, it can be much much easier if you do a bit of research. Like did you know practically any Roller blind or Vertical blind fabric can be used in a bathroom? They just add a Teflon coating and it’s 100% moisture resistant and is safe around the heat from your bathroom.

Here’s a list of window blinds you can have in your bathroom:

Roller Blinds

Vertical Blinds

Faux Wooden Blinds

Aluminium Venetian Blinds

Shutters (technically not a window blind but under the same classification)

What to do next

Call your local corby blinds or blinds kettering and arrange a free home appointment. It’s free to book the appointment and if you tell them on the phone you’re looking for bathroom blinds, they’ll make sure to bring all of the different blinds with them that will look great and function in your bathroom.

Then you can look at all the sample blinds, fabrics and colours, and see for yourself what you would like in your bathroom.

I hope that answers all of your questions about bathroom blinds, it’s actually a really simple process. Remember you can have the same window blinds in your bathroom as in your other blinds, as long as it’s one of the 5 blinds listed above.

For more information about bathroom blinds, Wikipedia have some great information.

Interior shutters are the latest trend to hit the world. Shutters are thought to have originated from France, where they’re used externally to provide complete sun blockout. You’ll spot them on the majority of houses in France, and often in a shade of blue. Well designers have come up with a new trend that is fast growing around the country, interior shutters or window shutters.

Before you start ordering window shutters though, there’s a few things you’ll need to make sure you get right. Firstly, don’t try and measure them yourself and buy them online. It might save you a bit of money, but Shutters are very complicated to measure and fit. You will always be better off paying a specialist to provide a home survey and then professionally fit them for you when they’re complete. And secondly, as we already established, Shutters are quite expensive to purchase so it’s advisable to get multiple quotes from reputable companies. Also have a look at their previous Shutter work, see how well they were fitted, etc.

That should answer most of the questions you have about purchasing window shutters, feel free to leave any comments with questions we haven’t answered about them. I’ve personally got Shutters in every window of my house, and even on my patio doors, so I’m definitely a fan of this new trend.